The present invention generally relates to an inserter based mail manifesting system and, in particular, relates to one such system having an inserter controller that processes sensed information and generates a document based on at least some of the sensed information.
As generally known, in addition to stamped, labeled and metered mail, the United States Postal Service provides for the payment for postal services by the issuance of permits. In general, because of the economics, permits are typically used only by mailers of large volumes of mail. Essentially, in this type of payment system, a permit holder will prepare a mailing that usually includes a large volume of mail pieces. The entire volume of mail pieces is then presented to the Post Office along with a document that sets forth various details definitive of the contents of the volume of mail pieces. Typically, the document, sometimes referred to as a manifest, a statement sheet, a 3602 or the like, includes such items as the amount of postage due and payable for the mail pieces within the mailing, the total number of pieces, the class and number of mail pieces within each class, and various other documentary facts that enable the postal service to verify that the appropriate postage for the volume of mail is, in fact, properly accounted for and paid. The USPS regulation relating to use of a permit, impose numerous responsibilities on the permit holder. For example, all mail from a particular permittee must be presented to a specific designated postal receiving station. In addition, the permittee is required to set forth, on the document accompanying each volume of mail, certain requisite information as mentioned above.
Quite frequently the document accompanying the mail is substantially completely manually prepared prior to the submission of the associated mail to the designated postal receiving station. Clearly, such a system is fraught with possibilities and opportunity for the commission of mail fraud by dishonest permittees. Further, there also exists tremendous possibilities for human errors to occur in the preparation and documentation shown on a manifest.
Some automated high volume manifest mail systems do exist, however, such as, for example, the systems shown and described in copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. Nos. 813,459, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,532 issued July 22, 1988, U.S. Pat. Nos. 813,443, 813,447 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,828 issued Oct. 25, 1988 and U.S. Pat. No. 813,445 all filed on Dec. 26, 1985 and assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference. The systems described and discussed therein usually provide, inter alia, for the control and/or transfer of postal value. However, in some instances, the security and accounting features of such a system provided to protect the postal value representative of postage funds may not be thought needed by a particular high volume mail permit user.
Hence, since most high volume mailers utilize some automated procedures and equipment that typically includes, inter alia, the placing of inserts within envelopes, it is highly desirable to provide a mail manifesting system that is substantially completely automated with respect to the generation of a manifest and controlled by an inserter based controller.